Stories of Later American History | Page 9

swept through the assembly and the masses outside. A plan was soon
formed.
The afternoon light of the short winter day faded, and darkness
deepened; the lights of candles sprang up here and there in the windows.
It was past six o'clock when Benjamin Rotch entered the church and,
with pale face, said: "The governor refuses to give a pass."
An angry murmur arose, but the crowd soon became silent as Samuel
Adams stood up. He said quietly: "This meeting can do nothing more to
save the country."

These words were plainly a signal. In an instant a war-whoop sounded
outside, and forty or fifty "Mohawks," or men dressed as Indians, who
had been waiting, dashed past the door and down Milk Street toward
Griffin's Wharf, where the tea ships were lying at anchor.
It was then bright moonlight, and everything could be plainly seen.
Many men stood on shore and watched the "Mohawks" as they broke
open three hundred and forty-two chests, and poured the tea into the
harbor. There was no confusion. All was done in perfect order. But
what a strange "tea party" it was! Certainly no other ever used so much
tea or so much water.
Soon waiting messengers were speeding to outlying towns with the
news, and Paul Revere, "booted and spurred," mounted a swift horse
and carried the glorious message through the colonies as far as
Philadelphia.
SOME RESULTS OF THE "BOSTON TEA PARTY"
The Boston Tea Party was not a festivity which pleased the King. In
fact, it made him very furious. He promptly decided to punish the
rebellious colony. Parliament therefore passed the "Boston Port Bill,"
by which the port of Boston was to be closed to trade until the people
paid for the tea. But this they had no mind to do. They stubbornly
refused.
Not Boston alone came under the displeasure of King George and
Parliament. They put Massachusetts under military rule, with General
Gage as governor, and sent more soldiers. The new governor gave
orders that the colonial assembly should hold no more meetings. He
said that the people should no longer make their own laws, nor levy
their own taxes. This punishment was indeed severe.
With no vessels allowed to enter or leave the harbor and trade entirely
cut off, the people of Boston soon began to suffer. But the brave men
and women would not give in. They said: "We will not pay for the tea,
nor will we tell the King we are sorry for what we have done."

When the people of the other colonies heard of the suffering in Boston,
they sent wheat, cows, sheep, fish, sugar, and other kinds of food to
help out. The King thought that by punishing Boston he would frighten
the other colonies. But he was mistaken, for they said: "We will help
the people of our sister colony. Her cause is our cause. We must all pull
together in our resistance to King George and the English Parliament."
So his action really united the colonies.
In order to work together to better advantage, the colonies agreed that
each should send to a great meeting some of their strongest men to talk
over their troubles and work out some plan of united action. This
meeting, which was called the First Continental Congress, was held at
Carpenters' Hall, Philadelphia (1774).
Samuel Adams and his cousin, John Adams, were two of the four men
that Massachusetts sent. They began their journey from Boston in a
coach drawn by four horses. In front rode two white servants, well
mounted and bearing arms; while behind were four black servants in
livery, two on horseback and two as footmen. Such was the manner of
colonial gentlemen.
[Illustration: Carpenters' Hall, Philadelphia.]
As they journeyed through the country the people honored them in
many ways. From some of the larger towns officials and citizens rode
out on horseback and in carriages to meet them and act as escort; and
on reaching a town they were feasted at banquets and greeted by
gleaming bonfires, the ringing of bells, and the firing of cannon. These
celebrations showed honor not to the men alone but to the cause.
The First Continental Congress, to which these messengers were
travelling, urged the people to stand together in resisting the attempt of
King George and Parliament to force them to pay taxes which they had
had no share in laying. They added: "We have the right not only to tax
ourselves, but also to govern ourselves."
With all these movements Samuel Adams was in sympathy. He went
even further, for at this time he was almost or quite alone in his desire

for independence, and he has well been called the "Father of the
Revolution." Perhaps we think of him especially in connection with the